American Studies

Interdisciplinary Minor

Directors: Catherine Danielou (Dean's Office, College of Arts and Sciences) and Deborah Littleton (College of Arts and Sciences)

The American Studies Program offers, through the College of Arts and Sciences, an interdisciplinary minor that examines various aspects of United States society and culture. Students are introduced to a wide range of different “texts” from American art, literature, music, history, science and technology, political science and sociology, justice sciences, and popular culture. These “texts” may include movies, slides, audio recordings, material artifacts, folkways, and food ways, as well as traditional written material. Students learn how to “read” and interrelate these texts in order to acquire a more complete and multifaceted understanding of American life and history. The minor in American studies thus provides a broad background in liberal arts and social sciences while developing skills of interdisciplinary thinking useful in a variety of careers. An American studies minor complements and counterbalances more narrowly focused majors; at the same time, it enhances majors that are either national or international in scope.

Courses

AS 201. Studies in American Culture. 3 Hours.

Team-taught, interdisciplinary study of American society and culture through selected readings from American literature and history, as well as other "texts" from art, mustic, industrial and technological developments, folk and popular culture. Specific topics vary with instructors; materials for study include culutral experiences and expressions of diverse groups within American society, including native Americans, African American, immigrants and women.

AS 202. Studies in American Culture. 3 Hours.

Team-taught, interdisciplinary study of American society and culture through selected readings from American literature and history, as well as other texts from art, music, industrial and technological developments, and folk and popular culture. Specific topics vary with instructors; materials for study include cultural experiences and expressions of diverse groups within American society, including Native Americans, African Americans, immigrants, and women.

AS 301. Studies in American Culture. 3 Hours.

Team-taught, interdisciplinary study of American society and culture throuh selected readings from American literature and history, as well as other texts from art, music, industrial and technological developments, and folk and popular culture. Specific topics vary with instructors; materials for study include cultural experiences and expressions of diverse groups within American society including Native Americans, African Americans, immigrants, and women.

AS 401. Senior Seminar in American Studies. 3 Hours.

Topics of national and regional interest from any discipline but sufficiently broad to allow focus on specific intellectual problems using analytical skills and interdisciplinary methods learned in Core Curriculum courses, required elective courses, and chosen major. Should be taken during senior year.Prerequisites:AS 201 [Min Grade: D] and AS 202 [Min Grade: D]